KW is just T

Trainer Gerald Ryan, a man of few words and not prone to exaggeration, has used the T word for the first time to describe Khamsin Warrior's progress so far this preparation.

20/05/09

Settled in good, nice and relaxed and is coming up 
terrific.

Regards
Gerald Ryan

Invincible Spirit battles the big boys.

With a little over 1/3rd of the Northern Hemisphere racing year gone, Invincible Spirit has passed the $1 million barrier and now ranks 9th in the General sires list with 37 winners from 120 runners. Another Green Desert stallion, Cape Cross, leads the way with $1.7 million from 39 winners from 114 runners.

This is Invincible Spirit's first season as a fully-fledged General Sire having won or placed second in the first, second and third season sires premierships the last three years.

Fleeting Spirit to take on Takeover Target

Invincible Spirit mare Fleeting Spirit will again be a foe for Takeover Target at Royal Ascot, with plans confirmed for her to start first up in the G1 King's Stand Stakes.

Fleeting Spirit was third, a neck behind second placed Takeover Target in last year's Kings Stand, which was won by Equiano. She later ran fourth in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (LR).

Takeover Target toppled another Invincible Spirit galloper, I Am Invincible, to land his eighth career Group 1 when taking Saturday's Goodwood.
The following report on Fleeting Spirit's progress was compiled by Racing Post:

FLEETING SPIRIT is set to make her seasonal bow in the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot after connections decided to skip a prep run.

The four-year-old, who was last seen finishing fourth at the Breeders' Cup meeting, had been pencilled in for the Betfred.com Temple Stakes - a race she won impressively in 2008.

However, trainer Jeremy Noseda is happy to head straight to Royal Ascot for the Group 1 on June 16, a race in which she finished third last year.

The trainer told jeremynoseda.com: "We have had a discussion and decided to head straight to the King's Stand with Fleeting Spirit.

"We felt that as she put up such a huge effort first time out last season, we would keep her in reserve to make her first start of this season at Ascot. It is a positive decision to take that course of action.

"She has just done her first easy piece of work and I am very happy with her."

KW back at Rosehill- Gerald reports

"Arrived at Rosehill on Monday straight from Carramar Park so did no
pre-training.
Hasn't grown which he didn't need to do but has thickened and
deepened and looks well."
Gerald

Back on track

Khamsin Warrior is expected back at Gerald's stables, Ascot Lodge, this week to begin his next preparation. His owners are quietly confident that after some 12 weeks spelling in which he apparently ate for two horses, he will have grown both physically and mentally.

Last preparation he showed good speed during his races but seemed to lack the toughness to finish them off. Let's hope the now more mature KW can do it.

I Am Invincible was almost just that.

I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit-Cannarelle by Canny Lad) led the field for most of the Group 1 Goodwood in Adelaide yesterday until the class of champion sprinter Takeover Target kicked in.

I Am Invincible stole a 2 lengths break at the turn and only lost by a length in fast time to an absolute freak so his effort was full of merit and augers well for a successful tilt at some of the country's big sprints.

I Am Invincible had only once previously run over 1200 metres, as a two-year-old, when last to Meurice in the group 2 Todman Stakes at Rosehill for Sydney trainer Toby Edmonds.

The four-year-old entire has won two of his three starts for Peter Morgan since being transferred after a stint with the Hawkes stable and flew in front when he defeated Goodwood rivals Augusta Proud and Blahnik in the group 3 D. C. Mackay Stakes (1100 metres) at Morphettville on April 18.